Water-wheel



C. A. ROWLETT.

WATER WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED Nov..26,1919.y

1,378,561. Patent-@May 17,1921.

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UNITED STATES C AIUSA. nowLE'r'r, or'rALMErro, rLoRIDA-- f WATER-WHEEL.

f Specification of Letters Patent. n Patented Mayly 1.921.

Application nleanovember ze, 1919;, seriaiNo. 340,718'. j

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CAIUs A. RoWLE'rr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Palmetto in the county of Manatee and State of lilorida, haveinvented a new and useful Water-Wheel, of which the 'following is a specication. 4

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in water wheels such as are employed as a means for generating power by force of water passing from a high level to a low level, the water impinging on the blades thereof.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character having a novel form 'of blades or water pockets, to receive the water, which will enable the wheel to generate the maximum amount of power from a given quantity of water.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the kcombination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing Figure 1 illustrates a side elevational view of a water wheel constructed in accordance with the present invention, one of the circular plates being shown as partly broken away to disclose the construction of the pockets, and

Fig. 2 illustrates a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the wheel formin the subject matter of the invention includes the spaced circular plates 5 and 6, which -plates have connection with the hub 7, through the medium of the radiating spokes 8, which are formed of metal or other suitable material, the number of spokes being regulated by the size and diameter of the wheel.

These circular plates 5 and 6, are supported in spaced relation with each other by means of the blades forming the pockets, each of the blades comprising a circumferentially extending wall 10, the ends of which are secured in any suitable manner to the plates 5 and 6 substantially intermediate the widths thereof, one end of each of the walls 10, extending toward the center or hub 7 of the wheel. Forming one wall of each of, the pockets, is the curved member 11 which 1s disposed in spaced relation with the walls 10 of the pockets, one end of each pock'et being formedby the wall 14, connectmg the wall l0 with the curved member 11.

Each of the pockets 9 is provided with a curvedwall 12 which is also disposed between the plates 5 and 6 of the wheel, and has one of its side edges connected to the front edO'e of the body portion 10 associated therewith; the pockets being however arranged in spaced relation with each other throughout the circumference of the wheel, it will be seen that water is permitted to iiow directly into the pockets between adjacent walls of the pockets, when the ockets are in a direct line with the flow o water passing over the wheel.

In the operation of the device, the wheel is supported under a water fall, the shaft 13 which has connection with the hub 7, being supported in suitable bearings to permit the wheel to revolve under the force of the water impinging thereon, there being suitable pulleys, not shown, for transmitting the rotary movement of thewheel to suitable machinery.

From the foregoing it will be seen that due to the constructlon of the pockets 9, which it will be noted are of a considerable depth, the water entering the pockets, is retained therein until the pockets of the wheel, during the rotation thereof, have passed the lowermost point of the circle in which the wheel rotates, before the same begins to empty. The above construction considered in connection with the curvature of the wall 12 of each of the pockets, eliminates any possibility of the water discharging from the pockets until the pockets have passed the lowermost point of rotation, thus insuring the maximum amount of power generated by a given amount of water passmg over the wheel.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is A water wheel including circular plates, a hub, means for providing connection between the circular plates and hub, a plurality of pockets supported between the plates, each of said pockets including a circumferentially extending wall, a curved member having connection with the inner edges of the Circular plates, and forming one of the Walls of the pockets, said eircumferentially extending Walls of the pockets being disposed in spaced relation with the curved member, one end of each circumferentially extending Walls having connection with the 'curved member, and a curved Wall forming a part of each circumferentially extending Wall to provide a 10 mouth. f

In testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

CAIUS A. ROWLETT. Witnesses i W. T. HARRISON, PEARL R.` FoWLER. 

